Joining the Ranks
by Romione4Life
Summary: Lucius Malfoy has lost control of his life. But one day, a mysterious woman comes along who could help him change that.


**Author's Note: This was written for round six of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition. It is supposed to be a noir-style story, but I must admit that I'm not very familiar with the genre, so I'm sorry if I've done this wrong. The optional prompts I chose are trap, easier, and dialogue: "I have no money left."**

* * *

He'd never felt more pathetic than he did right then. There he was, a member of the illustrious Malfoy family, and he was in a bar with a glass of firewhiskey and not much else. But ever since he'd lost his job at the Ministry, his life had spiraled out of control.

So much for pureblood superiority. He wouldn't be surprised if his name had been permanently scratched off the Malfoy family tree.

Just then, a tall, slender woman entered the bar. Her pale complexion and light blonde hair contrasted with her shadowy eyes and deep scarlet lips. Her gaze wandered around the room before coming to rest on him. His breath caught in his throat as she made her way over to him.

"Do you mind?" she asked smoothly, indicating the empty seat beside him.

He shook his head. Then, wondering if she was expecting him to buy her a drink, he quickly said, "I have no money left."

"Oh, I'm not looking for money," the woman said, casually inspecting her long fingernails. They sat in silence for a while before she finally spoke again.

"You're a Malfoy."

It wasn't a question, but rather a statement of a fact. He nodded in confirmation. "Lucius Malfoy," he said.

"Well, Mr. Malfoy, what would you say if I told you there was a way for you to turn your life around? A way for you to get riches, power, and glory," the woman said.

Lucius sat up straighter at the proposition. An offer like that from such a beautiful woman certainly didn't sound like one that could be refused. "Keep talking."

"I can't say much else here," the woman said. "Just meet me at this location at nine-thirty tonight." She slid a small scrap of paper across the table with an address scrawled on it. Then she winked and stood up to leave.

"Wait!" Lucius said. "I didn't get your name."

The woman turned around to look at him and smiled. "Black. Narcissa Black."

* * *

A few minutes before nine-thirty, Lucius Apparated to the address Narcissa had given him. It turned out to be a large, formidable mansion, made more intimidating by the bright flashes of lightning in the sky. Lucius was hesitant about approaching it, but as Narcissa was nowhere in sight, he assumed he had to enter the abode.

He walked up to the front door and knocked on it with a trembling hand. To his surprise, the door creaked open.

"Hello? Narcissa?" he called. "Is anybody home?"

There was no response, so Lucius stepped into the house. Suddenly, the door slammed shut behind him. Panicking, he reached for the doorknob to flee, but it wouldn't budge. He had no choice but to go deeper into the house.

Little did he know he was walking straight into a trap.

Lucius made his way down the long hallway. At the end, he came to a set of tall double doors. Placing his ear to the door, he could hear quiet murmurs on the other side. He knocked on the door, his heart pounding.

Immediately, all noise inside the room stopped. Then a calm, clear voice said, "Enter."

Lucius pulled open one of the doors. Inside, he saw a long table surrounded by people all dressed in black. At the head of the table was the man whose voice Lucius had presumably heard. He had dark hair and eyes and a cold expression, and he looked at Lucius with curiosity.

"Narcissa?" he said. "Is this the person you were telling me about?"

"Yes, my lord," Narcissa said. Lucius glanced over to see her seated at the table, beaming proudly.

The man got up and walked slowly over to Lucius. He began to circle him, examine him. "What is your name?"

"Lucius Malfoy," Lucius said.

"Lucius Malfoy," the man repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Thank you for joining us this evening. My name is Lord Voldemort. Please, have a seat."

Despite Voldemort's seemingly polite greeting, Lucius felt anything but welcome at the gathering. He took the seat Voldemort indicated at the foot of the table.

"Now, Lucius," Voldemort said, resuming his own seat. "You are here to join our ranks, is that correct?"

"I – I suppose," Lucius said uncertainly. "Narcissa didn't –"

"The Death Eaters are a very… _exclusive _group," Voldemort cut in. Lucius shivered at the name 'Death Eaters.' "We accept only the best. Since you are a pureblood, as Narcissa has informed me, you meet the first requirement, but I'm going to need something more."

"Something more, sir?" Lucius inquired.

"Those in my service will address me as 'my lord,'" Voldemort corrected.

"Sorry, my lord," Lucius said quickly. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat; apparently, he wasn't starting off on the right foot.

"As I was saying before you interrupted me, you are going to provide me with proof of your loyalty," Voldemort said. His eyes began to roam around the room. "Which of you would like to see that Lucius completes the task I set before him?"

A few mouths opened to respond, but Narcissa spoke up first. "My lord, I would be happy to volunteer for the job."

"Excellent," Voldemort said. "You know what to do. Take him to the dungeon."

Narcissa got to her feet gracefully and beckoned for Lucius to follow her. Lucius stood up and trailed behind her apprehensively. What would happen to him? Would he be locked up? Tortured? But no, Voldemort had made it sound like _he_ would have to do something.

They descended a staircase leading to the dim, musty dungeon. Narcissa pulled out her wand and lit it with a soft "_Lumos._" The beam of light illuminated a row of cells. Lucius stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed that nearly every single one was occupied.

"Narcissa," he said in a low voice. "What have you gotten me into? What have you gotten _yourself _into?"

"Come on," Narcissa said, ignoring his questions. She motioned him over to one of the cells. A young woman was curled up in the corner. She stared up at the pair with wide, terrified eyes. Lucius, distracted by this disturbing scene, jumped when he heard Narcissa whisper in his ear.

"Kill her."

"What?" Lucius said in disbelief. "No, I can't."

"You can," Narcissa said. "Go on. It's just two little words. It's easier than you think."

Lucius reached into his pocket, his hand shaking even more than before, and pulled out his wand. He raised it and aimed it at the woman, who looked too scared to speak.

"That's it," Narcissa said encouragingly. "Two little words, and your future will be secure."

His heart was pumping furiously and his breathing was rapid. He didn't know the woman. What did it matter if she lost her life? He needed this.

He took one last deep breath, mouthed the words, "I'm sorry," and then said the spell. "_Avada Kedavra._"

A jet of green light emerged from the tip of his wand and shot toward the woman. And Lucius squeezed his eyes shut so he wouldn't have to see the light leave hers.


End file.
